Gearing for laundry machines



May 27, 1930.

G. W. DUNHAM GEARING FQR LAUNDRY MACHINES Filed May 1 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l H JW y 7, 1930. G. w. DUNHAM 1,760,123

GEARI'NG FOR LAUNDRY MACHINES Filed May 16, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 r 613.5. I 27 l 26 m 24 2 39 4g I g1 20 3 23 -51 I 2 22 Y g4 37 30 5 23 2 4 a 1 l [14 13 19 l 1 1 15 I w i 12 4 44 I z, a? 6 i 49 Qwomboz Patented May 27, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENTS OFFICE GEORGE W. DUNHAM, OF UTICA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO WHIRLDRY CORPORATION,

OF UTICA, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK GEABIING FOR LAUNDRY MACHINES Application filed May 16,

This invention relates particularly to the type of machine disclosed in my co-pending application, Serial #750,035, in which the washing is effected in a clothes receptacle and the receptacle is then rotated to expel the wash Water by centrifugal act-ion.

The objects of this 1nvent1on are to provide simple, practical and eificient gearing for operating a machine of this general nature, to provide proper protection for and lubrication of such gearing, to arrange such gearing in the form of a single, compact, selfcontained unit and to dispose this unit in position where it will not be in the way but 5 at the same time will be readily accessible.

Laundry machines like those to which this invention relates are usually driven by an an electric motor. For economical reasons, as

' .regards initial cost and operating expense and also the saving in bulk and weight, it is desirable that these motors be as small as possible. The alternating current type of motor is preferable because of its low cost and adaptability to most electrical distributing systems. Such motors, however, lack starting torque and heretofore some special means has had to be provided for coupling them up to the load after they had been started.

One of the important objects of this invention is to incorporate with the gearing, a simple clutch mechanism for automatically coupling the motor to the load after it has developed sufficient torque to carry the load, without any attention on the part of the operator.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by certain novel features of construction, combination and relation of elements, including in part the housing of all the gearing in a single, oil-tight gear case attachable as a unit to the bottom of the washing machine and the provision of this gearing with an automatically operating centrifugal clutch pulley driven from the motor.

Other novel features of the invention will appear as the specification proceeds.

In the drawings accompanying ard forming part of this specification, the invention is illustrated embodied in one of its practicai. 50 commerc al forms, but it is to be unde st od 1925. Serial No. 30,759.

that the structure may be modified from this disclosure without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the invention.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a laundry machine constructed in accordance with and embodying features of the invention.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the machine.

Figure 3 is a broken transverse sectional view of the gear case and associated parts, on an enlarged. scale..

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view as on substantially the plane of line H of Figure 3, showing the gearing and centrifugal pulley on a further enlarged scale.

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view of the gearing as on substantially the plane of line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a detached part sectional view of the centrifugal clutch pulley.

The washing machine shown in the first two views comprises a tank or container 7 within which there is rotatably mounted, a clothes receptacle 8 supported on a column 9 rising from the bottom of the tank. The washing is effected by the operation of a suitable agitator engaging the clothes within the receptacle and drying of the clothes is effected by rotating the receptacle at sufficient speed to expel the wash water up over the rim of the receptacle or through special openings provided for the purpose, by centrifugal force. The agitator is not shown as any suitable form of such device may be employed and constitutes no part of the present invention. For the same reasons the driving connections for rotating the receptacle at centrifugal drying speed are not here illustrated. In Figure 3, however, the shaft which is employed to operate the agitator is indicated at 10 and the high speed shaft for rotating the clothes receptacle at centrifugal speed is shown at 11, the latter being of tubular form to pass the first shaft and both extending up through the tubular supporting column to the clothes receptacle supported at the top of the column.

The low speed or washer shaft 10 is shown as stepped in a bearing 12, formed in the bottom of the gear case 13, the drive pinion 14 on' the lower end of the shaft engaging said bearing as a thrust shoulder. The high speed or drier shaft 11 is shown as rotatably supported on the pinion 14. The gear case is made oil-tight so as to hold a quantity of lubricant sufficient to oil these shafts and the gears for operating the same. In the present disclosure the slow speed shaft is given an oscillatory motion to impart a rubbing movement to the agitator, so the pinion 14 is shown as engaged by a gear segment 15 pivoted on a stud 16 rising from the bottom of the gear case and this segment is shown as oscillated back and forth by a link 17 pivoted thereto at one end by a pin 18 and pivoted at its opposite end by a pin 19 to a worm gear 20 which is engaged by a worm 21 on the drive shaft 22. This drive shaft extends transversely of the gear caseand is shown as supported in bearings 23 in opposite side walls of the case. The worm gear 20 is shown as ournaled on a stud 24 shouldered at its lower end at 25 to support the gear loosely thereon, said stud being seated at its opposite end in a socket 26 on the side of the case where it is adjustably secured by a set screw 27. This mounting provides for easy assembly of the parts and enables a quick and convenient adjustment in the meshing of the worm and gear.

The drive of the high speed shaft 11 is shown as effected directly from the shaft 22 by a second worm 28 on said shaft in mesh with a worm gear 29 fixed on shaft 11. The proportions of the two sets of worm gears are suuch as to effect the desired relatively slow rotative mvements of the washer shaft and the more rapid rotation of the drier shaft. Suitable thrust washers or thrust bearings are indicated at 30 interposed between the outer ends of the worms 21, 28 and the shaft bearings 23 to take care of the end thrust of the worm shaft.

The worm shaft is shown as driven from an electric motor 31 supported on the bottom of the tank at 32 and provided with a pulley 33 from which a belt runs over a pulley 35 on the extended end of the worm shaft.

The pulley 35 is constructed to provide a clutch for automatically coupling the power to the drive shaft after the motor has passed its critical starting speed and gained sufficient torque to carry the load. This automatic result is attained by journaling the hub portion 36 of the pulley loosely on a collar 37 keyed on the shaft at38, said hub being confined on said collar between a disc 39 fixed to one end of the collar and a ring 40 engaged on the opposite end of the collar and the web of the pulley having radial guideways 41 in which the friction shoes 42 can slide into and out of engagement with the surrounding flange 43 of the disc 89. The clutch shoes 42 are weighted, tensioned or controlled so that they will slide outwardly with sufficient force to clutch the surrounding rim after a certain motor speed is reached and to insure a gradual clutching engagement the radially acting shoes may be faced with a suitable friction material such as indicated at 44.

This relatively simple form of centrifugal clutch mounted directly on the drive shaft and forming a part of the gearing unit, enables a relatively small motor being used and also makes it possible to employ a single phase alternating current motor because of the fact that the motor is not coupled to the load until after it has attained sufficient speed and power to carry the load. This clutch also is a safety feature in that the clutch elements can slip and so automatically release the load in case of obstruction or stoppage of any of the driven parts.

The gear case is shown as supported from the bottom of the tank through the intermediacy of a centrifugal pump 45, Figures 1 and 3, the lower half of the pump casing acting as a cover for the gear case and the upper half of the pump casing being secured to a flange 46, connected with the base of the sup porting column 9. The flange 46 is shown as carrying two resilient annular cushioning elements 47 between which engages the rim of a flange 48 bolted to the bottom of the tank about the opening 49 through which the column projects up into the tank. This construction affords a resilient mounting for the gearing, pump and. column as disclosed more fully and claimed in my co-pending application, Serial #230,760, filed May 16, 1925.

The mounting of the gear box beneath the tank places the gearing parts where they are out of the way but readily accessible for assembling or dismounting and lowers the center of gravity, making the machine more stable. The arrangement of the gears in a compact self-contained unit is an advantage also from the standpoint of appearance and gives the machine a better balance. The gears and shafting are by such means always properly lubricated and enabled to run smoothly and quietly, without attention, once the gear case is properly filled with lubricant.

The structure is relatively simple, involving but the one drive shaft, carrying the two worms and the concentric shafts one driven directly from the drive shaft and the other through oscillating gearing from the drive shaft.

What is claimed is:

1. In machinery of the character disclosed, a hollow column, a gear case dependent from the foot of the column, a vertical shaft stepped in said gear case and extending up through the hollow column, a tubular shaft surrounding said first shaft and also projecting up through the column, a horizontal drive shaft journaled in the gear case, worms on said drive shaft, a worm gear on the tubular shaft engaged with one of the worms, a worm gear journaled in the case in engagement with the other worm and driving connections ing up through the column, a horizontal drive shaft journaled in the gear case, worms on said drive shaft, a worm gear on the tubular shaft engaged with one of the worms, a worm gear journaled in the case in engagement with the other worm and driving connections from the second worm gear to the first mentioned vertical shaft, including a swing-gear segment pivoted in the case, a link pivotally engaged between said segment and the second worm gear and a pinion on said first shaft meshed by said segment.

3. In machinery of the character disclosed,

a hollow column, a gear case dependent from the foot of the column, a Vertical shaft stepped in said gear case and'extending up through the hollow column, a tubular shaft surrounding said first shaft and. also projecting up through the column, a horizontal drive shaft journaled in the gear case, worms on said drive shaft, a worm gear on the tubular shaft engaged with one of the worms, a worm gear journaled in the case in engagement with the other worm, driving connections from the second worm gear to the first mentioned vertical shaft and an automatically acting speed governed clutch on the drive shaft.

4. In machinery of the character disclosed, a hollow column, a gear case dependent from the foot of the column, a vertical shaft stepped in said gear case and extending up through the hollow column, a tubular shaft surrounding said first shaft and also projecting up through the column, a horizontal drive shaft journaled in the gear case, worms on said drive shaft, a worm gear on the tubular shaft engaged with one of the worms, a worm gear journaled in the case in engagement with the other worm, driving connections from the second worm gear to the first mentioned vertical shaft, a clutch flange fixed on the drive shaft, a driving member rotatable on the drive shaft and centrifugally operable clutch means on said driving member for automatic engagement with the clutch flange.

5. In machinery of the character disclosed, a hollow column, a gear case dependent from the foot of the column, a vertical shaft stepped in said gear case and extending up through the hollow column, a tubular shaft surrounding said first shaft and also projecting up through the column, a horizontal drive shaft journaled in the gear case, worms on said drive shaft, a worm gear on the tu; bular shaft engaged with one of the worms, a worm gear journaled in the case in engagement with the other worm, driving connections from the second worm gear to the first mentioned vertical shaft, a collar fixed on the drive shaft, an annular clutch flange carried by said collar, a driving pulley having a hub portion j ournaled on said collar and provided with radial guideways in its'web portion and clutch shoes slidingly engaged in said guideways for frictional engagement with the surrounding rim of the clutch member.

6. In combination, a gear case, a first shaft stepped in said gear case, a first gear fixed to said shaft, a tubular shaft surrounding said first shaft, a worm wheel on said. tubu lar shaft, a second worm wheel journaled in said case, a drive shaft having worms thereon one meshing with each worm wheel, a segment gear meshing with said first gear, and a connecting rod connecting said second worm wheel and segment gear.

7. In combination, a gear box, a hollow column rigidly secured to said gear box a worm shaft journaled in said box, a tubular shaft disposed in said column, an inner shaft within said tubular shaft, a high speed worm wheel on said tubular shaft, a slow speed worm wheel on said inner shaft, a worm shaft having a high speed worm and a low speed worm 1n said gear box, an idle worm wheel journaled in said gear box in mesh with said slow speed worm, a sector journaled in said gear box and meshing said slow speed worm wheel, and a connecting rod connecting said sector and idle whee, said sector being journaled on one side of said worm shaft, said'idle wheel and said concentric shafts being journaled on the other side of said worm shaft, the aforesaid parts all being in fixed operative relation.

8. In combination, a gear box, a hollow column rigidly secured to said box, a drive shaft passing through a wall of said box and journalled in said'box, said drive shaft extending substantially perpendicular to said column, means outside said-box for rotating said shaft, concentric shafts in said column and comprising a tubular shaft and an inner shaft, said tubular shaft being disposed inside said column, said inner shaft being disposed within saidv tubular shaft, one of said concentric shafts having a'gear wheel and the other havin g a pinion, said gear Wheel and pinion beino disposed within said box, first and second drive gears on said drive shaft, the first drive gear meshing said gear wheel, an idle wheel meshing said second drive gear and journalled in said box about an axis substantial- 1y parallel to said concentric shafts, means including a gear meshing said pinion for imparting an oscillatory motion to said pinion from said idle wheel, the aforesaidparts all being in fixed operative relation.

9. In combination, an oil tight gear box, a hollow column rigidly secured to said, box a worm shaft passing though a wall of said box and journalled in said box, said worm shaft extending substantially perpendicular to said column, means outside said box for rotating said shaft, concentric shafts in said column comprising a tubular shaft and an inner shaft, said tubular shaft being disposed Within said column, said inner shaft being disposed Within said tubular shaft, one of said concentric shafts having a Worm Wheel and the other having a pinion, said Worm wheel and pinion being disposed Within said box, first and second worms on said Worm shaft, the first worm meshing said Worm Wheel, an idle Worm Wheel meshing said second worm and journalled in said box about an axis substantially parallel to, said concentric shafts, means including a gear meshing said pinion for imparting an oscillatory motion a to said pinion from said idle Wheel, the aforesaid parts all being in fixed operative relation.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set hand.

GEORGE W. DUNHAM. 

